


the long way around

by TooSel



Category: Suits (US TV)
Genre: Business Trip, Coming Out, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Marijuana, Sharing a Bed, Summer Vacation, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:53:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25377967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooSel/pseuds/TooSel
Summary: When Mike reveals that he's never left the country, Harvey naturally makes it his mission to change that. He did not anticipate how hard it would be to hide his increasingly obvious feelings during their business trip-turned-vacation, granted, but that's a problem he's more than willing to deal with as long as Mike is happy.And who knows, maybe it's not a problem at all. Mike may yet surprise him. After all, doesn't he always?
Relationships: Mike Ross/Harvey Specter
Comments: 30
Kudos: 202





	the long way around

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Campbellk2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Campbellk2/gifts).



> So, a while ago I promised to write a story where Mike and Harvey go traveling after a lovely comment inspired me... it's literally taken me (almost exactly) two years to follow through with that, but here we are at long last. At least the timing worked out well, since traveling abroad currently isn't on the table for most of us and we can use this fic to live vicariously through them, right? Right.
> 
> Anyway... this is set somewhere around season 2 (oh, the good old times) or in an entirely different universe. Hope you enjoy it!

“Well, you were certainly smitten with that guy,” Harvey remarks when the door closes behind their client, lifting an eyebrow in amusement. “Is someone having a little crush?”

Mike tears his eyes from the door, shaking his head. “What? No, I mean, I was just interested in what he was saying, that’s all.”

Harvey smiles. “Liked the stories, did you?”

He did too, but he could tell that Mike was positively engrossed in them.

Their client just got back from a business trip taking him all over Europe and halfway through Asia, and they spent a good part of the meeting just listening to him talk about it. Mike in particular was enchanted by the man, hanging onto his every word, and the sight was so endearing that Harvey decided against reminding them of the matter at hand and just sat back to enjoy it.

“Dude.” Mike throws him a look. “They were amazing and you know it.” He exhales deeply. “It’s just that I’ve never been abroad, so hearing about that sort of stuff is always fascinating to me.”

Not having expected the wistfulness in his voice, Harvey glances at him.

“You’ve never left the country?”

Mike shakes his head. “My parents always just took me to another state when we went on a trip. Never got farther than North Carolina. And after my grandmother took me in, we didn’t even have the means for that.” He shrugs. “Then I got thrown out of college and had even less money, and _then_ I started working for you. Not many opportunities for me to go off and see the world in between that.”

“No, I suppose not.”

Mike sighs, then shakes himself. “Anyway. I’m gonna check those billings he asked about right away before everything starts piling up again.”

“You know it will anyway,” Harvey remarks, but his mind is only half on the matter.

Mike leaves him to his own work, and he opens his laptop and then stares at the blank document in silence for a full minute before he even realizes he’s doing it. His mind keeps returning to their conversation, to the longing in Mike’s voice as he talked about his lack of traveling experiences.

Of course he wouldn’t have had a chance to leave the country.

He doesn’t know why he never considered this before. Actually, he doesn’t know why he’s thinking about it now, since it’s neither relevant to the case nor his personal life in any way, but something about it just doesn’t sit right with him.

Usually, Harvey is the first to praise whichever associate foregoes extensive – or any – vacations in favor of working consistently and keeping their eyes on the prize, namely the career ladder they all want to climb. But in this case, he feels… kind of bad about it.

He hasn’t been keeping Mike from going after his dreams and seeing the world by giving him this much responsibility this quickly, expecting nothing less than his full attention seven days a week if need be, has he?

No, that’s bullshit. If he wanted to take some time off, he would have. Like he’d care if Harvey called him lazy for it.

Unless he felt like he couldn’t. Unless he’s worried that he’ll fall behind the other associates if he takes a few days off and won’t be able to catch up again. Which would be ridiculous, because it’s Mike he’s talking about here, and he’s keeping up with the other associates easily despite his lacking degree – no one in their right mind would ever even question that he went to law school.

But he didn’t. And every now and then, there are still things he doesn’t know because of it. It hasn’t been so noticeable that anyone has picked up on it so far, but if he leaves the office for a few days while everyone else keeps hustling…

Okay, maybe it wouldn’t be so ridiculous. It’s probably not the best idea to step away from work when he’s already at a disadvantage.

Then again, maybe he doesn’t have to. Maybe there’s a way for Mike to get a change of scenery while still keeping his head in the game.

If there is, then Harvey can surely figure it out and do what’s necessary to make it happen. There isn’t much he can’t do when he sets his mind to it, after all.

*

While the case does take priority – Harvey doesn’t spend all his time thinking about how he could improve Mike Ross’s life, no matter what malicious tongues may say – the thought sticks with him, rearing its head whenever he has a moment to spare or happens to look at Mike a little too long.

Which occurs more often than he cares to admit.

Determined to follow through with his plan, Harvey pulls all the strings he can until he eventually gets the results that satisfy him and more importantly, since her blessing is what this whole endeavor depends on, Jessica.

He gets her okay, because in the years they’ve worked together he’s learned all the tricks to get her to agree with what he wants, and once he has her permission, he goes looking for Mike.

He finds him in his office like he suspected, since he prefers working there and has taken to doing so whenever possible. Not that Harvey’s complaining. He doesn’t hear him approaching, too absorbed in his files, and Harvey slows down, taking a moment to just watch him as he leans in the doorway.

“I hope you’ve got a suitcase.”

Mike looks up, blinking as he returns to the here and now. “What for?”

“We’re going on a trip.”

Mike closes his file at once, his interest piqued. “We are? Where?”

Harvey sucks in his lip, concealing his smile as he savors the anticipation before he announces, “To Copenhagen.”

Mike stares at him. “No.”

“Yes.”

“No _way_.”

“It’s true,” Harvey assures him, amused. “We’re going to Denmark.”

The disbelieving smile spreading on Mike’s face is a thing of beauty.

“Oh my god, Harvey. How did you- I’ve never been to… I mean, anywhere, but especially Europe. What are we… shit, that’s insane!”

Mike’s babbling might just be the most endearing thing Harvey has witnessed all week. Taking in his flushed cheeks and the excited gleam in his wide eyes, he has never been more grateful to have listened to his gut and pull this admittedly rather elaborate stunt. It’s worth the massive favor he owes Louis now, since this client was technically his and there wasn’t even a case until Harvey contacted her with a proposal she was luckily very interested in, just to see him this happy – and they haven’t even left yet.

“I know. Now, don’t go assuming that you’re getting a free vacation. This is a business trip, and it’s first and foremost about the educational value it’s going to have for you.” He pauses for dramatic effect. “We can definitely fit in some sightseeing though, if you’re so inclined.”

As it turns out, he most definitely is.

Their trip is scheduled for the following week, and while Harvey expected Mike to be excited in the days leading up to it, he fails to describe his behavior as anything other than that of a headless chicken.

He has about a million questions, and he doesn’t shy away from asking them all. Harvey keeps expecting to get annoyed and regret putting all the extra work this trip means for him on his plate, but somehow he never does. How long are they staying in Copenhagen? How far is their hotel from the city center? How much free time will they have? Has Harvey ever been to Copenhagen before? Should he learn Danish before they go? (The last one is a serious question, which Harvey doesn’t realize at first and can only shake his head at afterwards before telling him to go ahead, since it can only benefit them to have a basic grasp of the language.)

Mike is far too energetic for someone who’s about to go on an eight-hour flight when Harvey and Ray pick him up on Monday morning.

“Try not to sleep,” Harvey advises, though it doesn’t look like he’ll have any trouble with that. “Copenhagen is six hours ahead of us, so we’ll have enough trouble sticking to a sensible sleeping schedule as it is.”

“We can always just not sleep at all,” Mike points out with a grin, and Harvey shakes his head because he wouldn’t put it past him to actually mean that.

Long flights like this one are usually his least favorite part of traveling, but it’s not so bad this time with the right company to get him through it. Mike is very excited about virtually everything, from the free tomato juice he insists on drinking like a total cliché to the wide selection of movies they can pass the time with, and it’s impossible not to get at least a little infected.

They end up watching the same movie, the running commentary they keep up the best part about it, before Harvey does some paperwork he brought along to use the time at least somewhat productively. It lasts for about forty minutes before he gives in to Mike’s pleading and watches another movie with him.

Despite how pleasant a journey it was compared to others he’s had, Harvey looks forward to setting foot on solid ground again, not least because Mike is nearly bouncing out of his seat with anticipation when the pilot announces that they’re on approach.

He does have to be patient a while longer before he finally catches a glimpse of this new place, because getting through security and customs until they can collect their luggage takes some time, but eventually they step out of the airport and into the city. Or however much of it they can see from here, which, admittedly, is not a lot.

It’s enough to keep Mike entertained for a while though. Harvey organizes them a taxi while he looks around, and the twenty-minute drive to the hotel offers some more impressions.

“This is amazing,” Mike mutters, his eyes glued to the window.

Harvey huffs out a laugh. “You’re not even seeing anything yet.”

“Uh, yes, I am. I’m seeing that everything looks totally different from the States, for a start.”

“Alright, I’ll give you that. Just wait until you get to take a closer look though. We can freshen up a little at the hotel and then we’ll head out.”

They do, each going to their respective room to settle in and unpack a little before meeting up in the hotel lobby half an hour later, ready to go exploring.

Never having been to Denmark before either, Harvey is equally curious to take a look around. It’s been a while since he took a trip anywhere, let alone to Europe, and Copenhagen seems promising from what he’s seen of it so far.

He always did like traveling to new places, but finds that it’s a lot more fun with someone else to do it with – especially if that someone looks like he won the lottery the entire time, the smile never leaving his face as they stroll through the streets near the city center.

Their last meal on the plane was a while ago, and Harvey personally thought it was less than satisfying anyway. If he could eat, Mike must be starving already. He usually is, no matter what time it is. Where the kid puts all the food, he has no idea.

“Do you want to grab some dinner or go exploring first?”

Mike narrows his eyes. “Honestly? Both.”

Hardly surprising, but it still elicits a smile from him.

“Alright, tell you what. We’ll keep going that way, and we’ll just look for a place to eat as we go along. When we find something, we take a break and continue afterwards.”

“Sounds great.”

It’s almost nighttime already, and despite the late summer evenings around here, the sun is beginning to set, painting everything in a soft golden light as they walk and take in their surroundings.

“Everything looks so… cute,” Mike says, which should be ridiculous, but Harvey knows exactly what he means. The architecture is nothing like they’re used to from home, and it’s incredibly charming to look at.

Mike takes a bunch of pictures, which Harvey makes fun of him for, though he insists on having him send them to him at the end of the day. Specifically the selfie he took of the two of them.

They look around for a while, soaking up the calm atmosphere of the city that is nothing like New York’s and makes for a rather pleasant change, until they eventually stop at a small, promising restaurant that’s open for another two hours.

It isn’t until Mike asks Harvey what he wants and then proceeds to pass their order on to the waiter in what sounds like flawless Danish to him that Harvey realizes he really wasn’t kidding about the language.

“Don’t tell me you actually taught yourself Danish in the past week,” he says once the waiter’s gone, staring at him in disbelief.

“Well, I could, but that would mean you just hallucinated this entire encounter. Is that really the preferable option?”

Harvey shakes his head. “When the hell did you find the time for this, with all the shit I told you to do before we left?”

“Didn’t take all that long, really.” Mike smirks, shrugging. “Relax. It’s not like I’m fluent or anything. I’m on a B1 level at most.”

“Right,” Harvey remarks dryly, shaking his head. “That’s less impressive then.”

It’s not, not in any way, but he keeps the full extent of his admiration to himself, just like the small, totally insignificant fact that it’s quite attractive to see him speak another language so effortlessly.

The restaurant was a good choice. The food is amazing, as is the bottle of wine they share with it because there’s really no reason not to – and if the alcohol helps make them tired faster, even better.

The sun has set by the time they step out of the restaurant, the cool breeze coming from the sea a welcome relief from the warmth of the day. The city is no less charming by night, and they make a detour to walk a little longer before returning to the hotel. There’s no rush, and the exercise can only benefit their attempts to reset their internal clock. Besides, Mike seems more than happy to see more of the city.

It’s a good thing they use the chance, because unfortunately, most of the limited time they have in Copenhagen is reserved for work.

Freja Clemensen welcomes them with a warm smile the following morning, persuading them to have brunch at her mansion before they talk business, which Mike is a little too happy about considering that they had breakfast not two hours ago.

She tells them a little about her business as they eat, how she built it up in the States before returning home, opening a second branch right here to be closer to her family. She’s more than open to the idea of expanding her business in both countries, which is where the two of them come in.

“We weighed all the advantages and disadvantages, calculated the risks, and while we’re going to walk you through all of that, let me just tell you upfront that you’d be a fool not to go for it.”

She chuckles, holding out her hands. “Well, go on. Convince me. I’m assuming we’re talking about an expansion in the States? Since that’s the branch we hired you for.”

“We’re talking about both, actually.” Harvey smirks, nodding towards Mike. “I’m your expert on American law. He’s your expert on Danish law. Together, we’ll show you every option you have and make sure you get all the facts you need for an informed decision.”

Truthfully, Mike wasn’t an expert on Danish law until two days ago, when Harvey told him to drop everything and read whatever he could get his hands on about the matter, but that’s the fun thing about Mike’s brain. It lets them get away with stuff like this.

Freja looks sufficiently impressed.

“This is what I love about Pearson Hardman. You always go the extra mile.”

“Or several thousand of them, in this case.” He lifts an eyebrow. “Shall we get started?”

They dive right into it, and before they know it it’s way past lunchtime and Freja insists they stay for dinner. Not the worst option, in Harvey’s opinion, since it allows them even more time to discuss their strategy.

It’s a lot of fun, actually. It’s good work, made even more enjoyable by Freja’s pleasant company and the multitude of Danish treats she provides (if Harvey had to guess, he’d say they’re the highlight of this whole trip for Mike, who only glanced at him once for permission before trying everything) and it shows what he already knew to be true, but still likes to see; that Mike and him are truly at their best when they work as a team.

But it takes time to talk through everything, and it leaves very little of it to do some actual sightseeing in between.

They only see Amalienborg Palace in passing – Harvey isn’t exactly a fan of monarchies, but taking a look inside still would have interested him – and they make it about halfway through the Glyptoteket museum before it closes, which is a real shame because it’s unlike any other museum Harvey has been to, and Mike dropping random trivia about the art on display made it even more interesting.

They do go to the National Gallery of Denmark, as well as a statue of the Little Mermaid that Mike insists on visiting, apparently having a soft spot for the fairytale, which Harvey is not above making fun of him for.

“We could always split up, if there’s something else you’d rather see,” Mike points out.

The idea never even crossed Harvey’s mind, and now that it does, he finds that it’s decidedly unappealing.

“I don’t have anything else I wanna see,” he just says, and at the sight of Mike’s smile – almost relieved, if he had to put a name on it – he thinks it’s safe to say that he isn’t the only one who feels that way. “Let’s take a look at your mermaid.”

“You don’t even know the story, do you?” Mike mutters as they turn to walk.

“Of course I know the story,” Harvey scoffs. “She falls in love with that guy and makes a deal to swap her tail for legs so she can be with him.”

Mike just hums noncommittally, a small smile on his lips that he never explains.

The statue looks nice (though Harvey fails to see what the big deal about it is, but as long as Mike is happy he won’t complain too much). He offers to take a picture of him, only to have Mike snap another selfie of both of them in front of it, a strange look on his face he couldn’t begin to make sense of before it disappears so fast that he isn’t sure it was ever there at all.

With how busy their days are, the week passes before Harvey knows it. Come Friday, they’ve worked out a bulletproof concept for Freja and, while they didn’t have a chance to look past the surface, gotten at least a superficial impression of the city they’ve been staying in.

Mike appreciates every minute of it, it’s clear as day, but even though he doesn’t mention it, Harvey can tell he’s disappointed when they say their goodbyes and it’s time to collect their luggage and head to the airport.

Going home doesn’t exactly sound appealing to him either, he’ll give him that. He’s surprised by how much he enjoyed their time here, even though he barely got a minute to himself and the jet lag he’s been battling on top of it did take its toll on him.

He nudges Mike with his elbow as they head back to the hotel, waiting until he looks at him.

“Hey. You alright?”

“Yeah, sure. Why?”

“Laying it on a bit thick with the sad puppy eyes, that’s all.”

Mike snorts, the corner of his mouth lifting. Despite the smile, his entire stance radiates wistfulness.

“I don’t know. I just don’t feel like going home yet, I guess. I mean, I’m grateful we got to come here at all, right? I just wish we could have seen more.”

Harvey does, too. He’s usually perfectly happy staying where he is, too busy with work and everything New York has to offer to really miss anything, but now that they’re here already… it seems like such a waste to just go back without really having taken advantage of that.

How often does he get to go to Europe, really? He can’t even remember the last time he took some time off, and it definitely wasn’t so he could go on a vacation. Who knows when he’ll next get the chance to travel?

And for Mike, it’s even worse. He’s still an associate, only just starting out. It’ll be a while before he can afford to take time off without falling behind.

It would be ridiculous not to make the most of it while they’re still here, really.

And truthfully, flying eight hours twice just to barely get to see the continent? That’s just not worthwhile.

They walk back to the hotel in silence, and once they’re in the lobby, waiting for the car to take them to the airport, Harvey asks Mike to watch his suitcase and brings a few steps between them. Before he can talk himself out of it, he unlocks his phone and gets to work. It’s not like they’ll be missing much more work than they already did if they stay a little longer. As for Jessica, asking for forgiveness is easier than getting permission – that’s always been his modus operandi, and it worked out well for him so far.

Changing flights is a matter of minutes, only bearing him out in his decision. He bites his lip when he ends the call and turns back to lay eyes on Mike, still oblivious to their new plan.

“I sold all your fancy ties while you were gone,” he announces when he gets back.

“Shame. I could have used them where we’re going next. Did you at least get a good figure for them?”

“What- where are we going next? I thought we were flying home.”

“Yeah, no, change of plans. We’re not going back to the States yet.” He tilts his head, his lips curving upwards. “How do you feel about Amsterdam?”

Mike’s mouth falls open. “You’re not serious,” he says, shaking his head as he stares at him. “I mean… really?”

“Really. You’re right, it just doesn’t seem worth the hassle to fly back already. I called the airline to change our flights, and the next one happened to be to Amsterdam. Appropriate, don’t you think?”

A disbelieving laugh escapes Mike. “That’s amazing. Oh my god,” he whispers, bouncing on his heels, and for a moment Harvey thinks he’s going to hug him before he freezes abruptly, his grin slipping from his face to make way for a frown.

He tries not to be too disappointed.

“Wait, does Jessica know?”

Harvey waves his hand. “Leave Jessica to me. You have nothing to worry about except coming up with a plan of what you want to do in Amsterdam over the next three days. Apart from the obvious.”

The grin returns, so wide that it almost looks ridiculous, but Harvey just finds it strangely adorable.

“Three whole days, with no work? Oh, you bet your ass we’ll find a good way to pass the time.”

“We may have to do some paperwork so we’re not completely swamped when we get back,” Harvey points out, but even that can’t dampen his enthusiasm.

Sure enough, by the time they land in Amsterdam a few hours later, Mike has compiled a list of things he wants to see that looks pretty extensive from where Harvey’s sitting.

“If there’s anything else you wanna do, just let me know,” he tells him while Harvey skims the list.

He lifts an eyebrow. “A sex museum?”

Mike shrugs. “Why not?”

Harvey is pretty sure they have one of those in New York too, but he just hands him the list back and says, “Looks good to me. Seems we’ll be quite busy while we’re here.”

Not that he’s complaining.

Before they can get started, he has something else to take care of though.

As soon as they reach the hotel he found online and chose at random, Harvey leaves it to Mike to check them in and steps away to call Jessica.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on a plane right now?”

“What kind of greeting is that?” Harvey asks. “I’m flattered you remember the exact time of my flight though. Good to know you care.”

“What do you want, Harvey?”

Straight to the point then. Fine by him. It’s probably best to get this over with.

“Remember how you told me I was your most valued employee and you didn’t know where you’d be without me?”

“I never said that,” Jessica tells him dryly.

“I’m sure you must have thought it at some point, though.” He tilts his head, musing, “How much do you actually like me?”

“Good god. What have you done?”

“Nothing. Except some really good work over here, by the way, which will bring the firm a ton of money. Remember that.”

She sighs. “Again, what do you want?”

“A few more days. I meant it, Mike and I did exceptional work over here. We have earned some time off. I have nothing coming up that couldn’t be rescheduled, and you know I can handle the workload. So does Mike. There’ll be no disadvantages for anyone but ourselves.”

Jessica is silent. “Are you asking me?”

“I’m informing you that it’s happening.”

She lets out a deep breath, clearly displeased but hardly surprised. She does know him so well.

“Well, if you’ve made up your mind already, there isn’t much I can tell you. I’m only going to say this: you’re paying for any and all expenses this little trip of yours generates. Any messes that come out of this, _you’re_ responsible of cleaning up. If I hear as much as a word that you failed to do so, you’ll wish you had stayed in Europe. Am I making myself clear?”

“Perfectly.”

Jessica hums. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” she then says, and even though they never said it out loud, he knows it’s not about the work anymore. Harvey glances at Mike, talking to the porter, before he turns away.

“We’re just staying for a few more days. It’s no big deal.”

“If you say so.”

“I do. Hey, want me to bring you back a little souvenir from Amsterdam as a thank you? If you catch my drift.”

She snorts. He can practically see her shaking her head.

“Goodbye, Harvey,” is all she says.

They end the call, and Harvey walks over to Mike, who lifts his eyebrows when he sees him.

“Well? How much trouble are we in?”

“None,” Harvey assures him, and there’s only a small part of him that doubts it. “We’re free to enjoy this vacation however we like. There’s no catch.”

Mike grins. “Well, then we’d better make good use of it, huh?”

And they do. Meeting up again an hour later, they find a place to have dinner and figure out the best route for the upcoming days before diving into it come morning.

There’s a ton of interesting museums in Amsterdam, much more than they could squeeze into the weekend, but you can’t have everything. Harvey is perfectly content visiting the Van Gogh museum, foregoing an audio guide because he has Mike with him, who happens to know the man’s entire life story and has something to say about almost every painting they walk past.

They go to Anne Frank House as well, and Harvey even lets himself be dragged to a cheese museum that Mike desperately wants to see.

After that, they decide to take a break. A real one. Harvey did promise Mike they’d have time for it, and it doesn’t take them long to get their hands on some weed.

It’s been a while since he had edibles, but Harvey knows the effect will kick in in due time. They’ve got all day, anyway. There’s no rush.

Mike wrinkles his nose as he licks the crumbs from his fingers.

“I don’t really care for the taste, to be honest.”

Harvey blinks at him. “Is this your first time? Eating it, I mean.”

“Yeah.” He shrugs. “Smoking it was always easier.”

Harvey chuckles, finding himself unable to stop grinning even when the sound fades. “You’ve got another thing coming then, rookie.”

“That’s what I’m counting on.” Mike smiles, and it looks a little wider than it usually would. Funny, that.

He throws away the bag the cookies were in, putting his hands on his hips.

“What now?”

“Let’s take a walk,” Harvey suggests.

A good idea, as it turns out.

He didn’t realize how beautiful this place was. Not just because it looks nice, but because it’s really relaxing with all that water and the bikes around them. It’s so different from what they’re used to back home, and they stroll through the streets with wide-eyed awe and a distant sense of catharsis that makes every single one of their steps seem feather-light on the concrete. He’s not even sure if they’re really walking, or if they aren’t floating instead.

Either way, it’s one hell of a walk.

Mike keeps bumping into him, which is a bit funny. They pass Amsterdam’s narrowest house at some point, which is absolutely hilarious to both of them, and then they visit an art museum they happen to stumble upon and earn themselves a few death glares for laughing so hard at the first painting they see.

“Shh,” Mike makes when he’s caught his breath, putting a finger on his lips. Harvey is still grinning, but the overwhelming urge to place a kiss on the tip is distracting enough for the hilarity to fade.

“Be serious, dude. Art is… serious.”

“Absolutely,” Harvey agrees solemnly, nodding. “We should… take a look. Really appreciate it.”

Mike, regarding him intently, for some reason starts chuckling again, and he grins too, just because he likes the sound of it.

“Well, don’t know about you, but I already am.”

Harvey huffs. The kid is ridiculous.

“Be serious,” he chastises him with his own words, turning to the artworks. He takes a close look at it, surprised by the rich colors he finds on there, and Mike falls silent beside him too, evidently sharing that opinion.

Art is _great_. He should go to museums more often.

Harvey is pretty sure they’re spending far too long in front of every painting – they barely make it through one wing of the building before they grow tired – but there’s just _so_ much to see.

“I’m maxed out,” Mike eventually announces, his eyelids drooping as he looks at him, and if _he’s_ saying that, it must mean something. “Any more and I’ll ascend to another level.”

“Don’t,” Harvey tells him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Not without me.”

Mike hums, shaking his head with a serene smile. “Never.”

Peculiar thing to say, but before it really registers they have already moved on with the conversation, agreeing that it’s time to return to the real world and step outside.

They move around the city for a while. Harvey has no idea where they are, truthfully, but as long as Mike is there, it really doesn’t matter.

Eventually they end up sitting in some church Mike had on his list. He’s sure he didn’t mean to visit it stoned, but, well, they’re here already. Might as well.

Considering that this is kind of a big deal (at least that’s what Harvey assumes, he still doesn’t know where exactly this place is), there aren’t many other visitors or regular worshipers. No one else even sits down.

Harvey takes in the stained-glass windows surrounding them, trying to remember the last time he was inside a church. If he had Mike’s memory, he’d probably know. Must be useful to have that. Not that he can come up with any situation in which knowing the exact time of his last service would come in handy, but still.

“Is this blasphemy?”

“Hm?”

Mike gestures towards them.

“Oh. No idea.” Is there something in the bible about getting high? He’s sure Mike would know, but Harvey’s never paid much attention to what the bible says. Still, Mike might care. He doesn’t want him to be uncomfortable.

He nudges him with his elbow. “Wanna leave?”

“Mh. No. It’s so peaceful.”

“Yeah.”

It is peaceful. Maybe that’s what draws people to churches. It’s a bit stuffy in here, but Harvey kind of likes the quiet.

“Should we confess?”

“Confess what?” Harvey asks with only a slight delay. Mike rolls his eyes.

“Our little secret,” he stage-whispers.

Harvey blinks at him, taking a few moments before he realizes what he’s implying. “Oh. _That_ secret.”

“What did you think I meant?”

“Never mind that. I’m not religious enough to spill the beans, but you… go ahead. I’ll wait right here.”

Mike looks ahead as if he’s actually considering it, then lets out a long-suffering sigh. “It’s so far away,” he complains, and that’s that.

They sit in silence for a good long while, each hanging after their own thoughts.

“God, I’m starving,” Mike eventually breaks the quiet. As if on cue, Harvey’s stomach rumbles too.

“Amen. Wanna get out of here and grab some food?”

“Hell yeah.” Mike gets to his feet, belatedly covering his mouth with his hand. “Oopsie. Blasphemy again.”

“I’m sure he’ll forgive you,” Harvey says, patting his shoulder on their way out. “You’re a good kid. Mistakes… happen.”

Sometimes a lot of them happen. But he always believed that if there is a god, he’s going to let them in despite that.

Mike hums. “I want pizza,” he announces.

Harvey grins. His cheeks should be hurting from the strain, but really, he can’t feel a thing except for that strange lightness in his chest. Must be some good fucking weed. Or maybe it’s just the company.

“Let’s get you some pizza then,” he says, placing a hand on his back and promptly forgetting to take it away again. “My only condition is that we eat it by the water.”

The calm flow is just too beautiful not to stare at it.

Mike nods, evidently thinking the same thing.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, counsellor. Lead the way, I’m right behind you.”

And Harvey beams, because he always is, and if that isn’t a reason to smile, he doesn’t know what is.

*

“Now this is what I call a proper vacation,” Mike sighs, taking a big gulp of his coffee.

“I’m not sure what your idea of a vacation entails, but now I’m worried.”

After sleeping off the remnants of yesterday’s escapades they are off to a later start today, but at least they’re well-rested, and there’s no rush anyway.

They’re waiting in line at Red Light Secrets, which is a museum of prostitution Mike wanted to see – not to be confused with the sex museum he also wants to visit, for purely educational purposes, as he insists.

“Come on, dude. Like you don’t think this is interesting. Not in a pervy way, just… historically.”

“It is interesting, I’ll give you that.” Harvey swirls his own coffee, glancing at the people behind them. “Not gonna lie, this still feels somewhat inappropriate though.”

“Because you’re my boss?”

Not only because of that, but Harvey can’t exactly tell him that without giving himself away, so he settles on a simple, “Yes.”

“Well, like I said, this is a vacation. We’re not here as two people who work together, just two people who are friends, and if you’re gonna dispute the fact again, let me just say upfront that I’m not buying it. You like me, we’re friends, and there’s nothing you can do to change my mind.”

Oh, he’s pretty sure he could, but it’s probably best not to mention that either. Because Mike is right, they _are_ friends. And Harvey would hate for that to go down the drain just because he couldn’t control the tiny crush he’s developed on the man.

Well. Tiny enough. Not that the size of it changes anything, really. Best not to dwell on that.

The thing is, it’s hard not to with how much time they’re spending together. They always are, but especially on this trip they’re around each other _literally_ all the time. He’s seeing a lot of sides to Mike that he wouldn’t usually be confronted with so much, and it’s… challenging to keep up the professional front he usually puts on. Or tries to. It’s a work in progress.

But this isn’t professional, and that’s exactly the problem. They’re just two friends on a trip, like he said, and the guy by his side is not the work version of Mike he already struggles to keep himself in check with. This is a private version of Mike, a little more open, a little softer around the edges, and Harvey can feel himself responding in kind without really being able to do anything about it. The lines are blurring between them, and he doesn’t have the first idea how to stop it.

And no, visiting a museum of such an explicit nature really isn’t helping with that.

Maybe he doesn’t _want_ to stop it, though. Because goddamn it, this is nice. Being with Mike like this, unguarded, not having to worry about work for once, it’s a hell of a lot nicer than he expected. Mike is wide-eyed and in awe of everything that catches his gaze as they explore the city, and his unadulterated enthusiasm is beautiful to watch. He doesn’t want to give that up yet, the idea of going back home no more appealing than it was two days ago, and when he looks at Mike, he’s fairly sure that he isn’t the only one with that problem.

The thought sticks, and without quite knowing why, he announces over lunch on their last day, “I don’t feel like going home yet.”

Mike’s eyes snap up, and the gleam of hope in them is enough for Harvey to make his mind up right then and there.

What’s the harm in staying a while longer, really?

He never did specify how many more days they were going to be away when he talked to Jessica, speculating to get a little more out of it than just this. And why shouldn’t he, if they’re here already? He deserves this. He’s earned some time off, and so has Mike. The kid works so hard all the damn time. It’s only fair for him to get something in return.

“I mean, we could… stay. Just another night or two. Couldn’t we?”

Harvey takes a sip of his coffee, putting the cup down carefully, overly aware of Mike’s eyes on him. “I don’t see why not.”

Mike breaks into a grin. “Awesome! Where do you wanna go?”

“I don’t know,” he gives back, amused. “Where do _you_ wanna go?”

“As long as it’s somewhere new, I really don’t care.”

“Hm. How about somewhere new and old at the same time?”

“I’m intrigued. What are you thinking?”

“Well,” Harvey says, wiping his mouth with his napkin, “I’ve always wanted to go to Rome.”

Mike looks delighted by the suggestion. “Oh, hell yeah. All roads lead there, don’t they? We basically _have_ to.”

Well, looks like their road sure as hell will. And the uninhibited joy on Mike’s face is already worth all the trouble it might get them into.

*

It’s amazing how fast you can get from A to B in Europe. Once they’ve changed flights, they make it to Italy in virtually no time.

Just as Amsterdam was different from Copenhagen, it’s clear that Rome is something else yet again as soon as they land.

While they wait for their luggage, Mike bites his lip and pushes his hands into his pockets.

“Hey, you haven’t booked us a room already, have you?”

“No, not yet. Why? Any wishes?”

“Well, I was kind of thinking… not that the hotels we’ve been staying at weren’t awesome, because they were, but could we maybe forego the fancy upscale places this time and just… go somewhere normal? You know, like we’re regular tourists, sleeping in the first available motel and… I don’t know, actually experiencing what life is like here.”

He scratches his neck, glancing at him like he’s expecting to be mocked at any moment.

Harvey doesn’t want to mock him. He gets it. And if Mike wants him to spend _less_ money on their vacation, who is he to deny him?

“We can stay wherever you want, but if we get bedbugs, I _will_ hold you responsible.”

Mike’s shoulders relax as he grins. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take. Hey – thanks.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Harvey says dryly. “Just remember that you were the one who asked for this.”

Not always having lived on the salary of a corporate lawyer, he’s stayed at a few subpar accommodations in his time. He knows what’s drawing Mike to the idea, especially if he’s never really had the chance to experience it before, but he may be romanticizing the whole thing a little in his head.

The trouble with this way of traveling, of course, is that there’s no guarantee for what they’re going to end up with.

Asking their taxi driver to take them to the first accommodation near the city center, they end up at a small, inconspicuous building that Harvey can’t decide whether he finds shabby or charming. Maybe it’s both.

The doorman’s English leaves much to be desired when he asks for two rooms, and since they didn’t know they were coming to Italy until a few hours ago, Mike hasn’t had a chance to get acquainted with the language, but Harvey is making do.

At least he thinks he is, until the doorman hands him a key as soon as he’s filled out the form he gave him.

“Two beds. Here you go.”

Harvey takes the key, waiting.

“What about the other one?” he asks when the man only smiles at him.

“What other one?”

“I asked for two beds,” Harvey clarifies, frowning. “In two separate rooms.”

“Yes.” The man nods. “Two beds. One room. Enjoy.”

“No, no. Wait. Isn’t there…“

He looks around, seeking help, but his eyes fall on Mike before he finds anyone who might be able to translate for him, regarding the questionable art by the elevators like he’s actually interested in it. The strap of his bag is slung around his shoulder, his hand curled around it to hold it in place as his tongue darts out in concentration.

He looks so open and carefree like this, the excitement about getting to be here practically leaking from him. The sight is so enticing that Harvey almost gets lost in it until he remembers himself, remembers that he shouldn’t _stare_ , that this is wrong and could lead to a lot of trouble very quickly.

But Harvey never much cared about right and wrong anyway. And maybe he can use this trip to indulge himself, just a little. Enjoy it while it lasts and then move on, go back to the way things were once they return to the office.

They’re here now. And Mike is right there, looking so goddamn soft and approachable, and really, when this is practically being forced upon him, how is he supposed to say no to that?

Harvey swallows and tears his eyes away. The doorman is lifting an eyebrow when he looks back at him.

“Never mind. I’ll take the room. Thank you.”

Mike turns around when he hears him approaching, smiling. “Everything settled?”

“Yup. There was a problem though. They just had one room. It has two beds.”

He expects Mike to make a face or complain, demand that they look for another hotel maybe, already preparing to remind him that he was the one who wanted to experience ‘real life’ here, but Mike just smiles wider and nods.

“Cool. Let’s go?”

“Sure,” Harvey mutters, following him to the elevators. They heave their luggage down the narrow hall – someone should really repaint those walls sometime – and stop in front of their designated room.

Mike opens the door and starts laughing.

“What?”

“I think there might have been a bit of a language barrier,” he explains vaguely, turning around when he enters after him.

Harvey opens his mouth to ask what he’s talking about, but the question becomes redundant once he’s inside.

There aren’t two beds. There’s one.

It’s a king size, granted, big enough for two adults to sleep in, but it’s a lot less space than Harvey would usually keep between himself and a platonic friend. _Is_ that even king size? It looks smaller somehow. Maybe they have different measurements here.

“I’ll go back down and ask for another one.”

Mike raises his eyebrows.

“It’s fine, Harvey. I don’t mind. Unless you do?”

“I don’t,” he says, perhaps a little too fast.

“Well, there you go. Besides, didn’t he say they were out of rooms anyway?”

“Yeah,” Harvey murmurs. “Right.”

He glances at Mike, but he seems perfectly happy claiming the left side of the bed and unpacking the essentials, and so he stops questioning whether this is really a good idea and does the same.

Rome surpasses all of his expectations. He wanted to come here ever since he first watched Gladiator, having read up on the history of the city since, but none of the pictures he saw even came close to how impressive the place actually is.

It’s beautiful, no doubt, but it’s the atmosphere of it that really gets Harvey, the distinct sense that something monumental happened here, however many years ago it might have been.

Mike spreads his arms when they reach their first destination, spinning around to take it all in.

“The Colosseum. This is… the real deal. They started constructing this place in the year 72 and concluded in the year 80. 80, Harvey. That doesn’t even sound like a real year. How crazy is that?”

“Pretty damn crazy,” he agrees, looking around. Mike shields his eyes from the sun, stepping beside him.

“Emperor Titus inaugurated it with a celebration that lasted a hundred days, apparently. Over 2,000 gladiators died during those games alone.”

“That’s… violent. Big price to pay for some inauguration.”

Mike shrugs. “Death smiles on us all. All a man can do is smile back.”

“You couldn’t hold back the Gladiator quotes one minute longer, could you?”

“The fact that you recognized it immediately tells me that you were just waiting for me to start so you could do the same without sounding like a nerd.”

“Says the guy who rattles off facts about the Roman Empire like a walking textbook.”

“Come on. You know I can’t do anything about that. There’s more where that came from, though.”

He holds out his hand, gesturing towards the outer walls of the Colosseum.

“Over 50,000 people fit in here. There were all sorts of spectacles; exotic animals being paraded around, public executions, recreations of battles, and the famous gladiator fights to top it all off. All that went on for over 500 years. The last recorded games were held in the sixth century.”

So long ago. And yet, standing here, Harvey almost thinks he can hear people cheering to the sounds of battle, can see the blood that was spilled here for centuries. Despite the masses of tourists surrounding them, the memory is so alive here, almost as if it were living and breathing.

“But it doesn’t end there,” Mike continues, his eyes glazed as he turns around, as lost in it as Harvey feels. “Since then, the Colosseum’s been faced with lootings, earthquakes, and bombings during World War Two. It was used as a storehouse, a church, funnily enough a cemetery, and even a castle in the meantime.”

He stops, taking a deep breath as he closes his eyes before he shakes his head, a bewildered smile on his lips.

“There is so much history here.”

It’s making Harvey feel some kind of way, and for some reason, it only gets stronger the more he looks at Mike.

“What we do in life echoes in eternity,” he says solemnly, and Mike’s eyes snap to his, the silent awe replaced by amusement in an instant.

“I knew you were just waiting for the next best opportunity.”

“Well, you started it, so I’m only going with the flow.” He takes another look around, then nudges Mike with his elbow, smiling. “I gotta say, it does come in handy to have a walking travel guide.”

He bows in exaggeration. “I aim to please.” Straightening, he adds, “I’ve actually known this stuff since elementary school. I had this big history phase, and I really loved this era. Old Egypt, too.”

“I doubt we’ll make it there on this trip, but your investment in the Roman Empire is paying off.”

“I know. If only the kids who made fun of me for it back then could see me now.”

“Wait, so you weren’t the cool kid at school? That explains so much about you.”

“What’s that supposed to- you know what, I don’t even wanna hear it. I’m on vacation, and I won’t listen to another word of this slander.”

“It’s not slander. I never said I didn’t like you as you are.”

It’s an admission that he wouldn’t make so willingly at any other time, but that somehow just slips out now. He’s been having that problem a lot lately. Something about being on this vacation with Mike, discovering all these new sides of him, makes it that much easier to open up as well. He doesn’t even have to try, doesn’t even _want_ to sometimes – it just happens, naturally.

Weird, that.

Not that he regrets it, unsettling as it may be. The flash of surprise on Mike’s face, followed by the most genuine smile he has ever seen on him, is definitely worth it.

He expects him to say something in return, tease him about how he obviously cares (and this time he doesn’t even have a leg to stand on when he pretends he doesn’t), but he just stays silent, just keeps gazing at him.

Neither of them looks away.

The sun is shining above them, casting everything in a ridiculously bright light. A trickle of sweat runs down Harvey’s back, perfectly in tune with the one on Mike’s temple, moving hypnotizingly slow.

Clearing his throat, Harvey has to actively tear his eyes from him before he loses his last chance to claim that he wasn’t staring.

Problem number two: whatever’s been happening between them on this vacation, making them more open, more vulnerable, it’s also made it that much harder to hide his feelings.

And, okay, maybe he’s been having some of those lately. Maybe a little longer than that, too. Not that the specifics matter; he shouldn’t be having them in the first place, but tell that to the stubborn fluttering sensation in his stomach every time he looks at Mike.

It’s not like there’s much he can do about it.

Distancing himself from Mike is hardly a possibility with how closely they work together, and he wouldn’t want to do that anyway. Why should he sacrifice the pleasure of his company just because he couldn’t keep his emotions in check? Why should he have given up the chance to go on this trip with him, to stay a little longer, to see him smile like that?

Goddamn it.

Of course that hasn’t been helping. The closeness hasn’t been helping. The sleeping in one bed and waking up inches apart _definitely_ hasn’t been helping, but Harvey never claimed to be anything other than a hedonist. He loves how close to Mike he feels here, far away from their usual environment; wants to feel more of it, all the time, and it’s been getting increasingly harder to hide that this goes beyond what it should be.

And maybe he doesn’t particularly want to hide it.

It’s not tangible. It’s not that he has hard proof, or any kind of proof, really, but… there’s something about Mike. Something in the way he looks at him and his eyes linger sometimes, full to the brim with something he never puts into words, that makes him think he may be feeling it too. Something like what he’s seeing before him right this second.

Unfortunately, their moment of whatever the hell this was is interrupted before he can get to the bottom of it.

Mike loses his balance when someone bumps into him, rubbing his shoulder as he sends the guy a reproachful look, and the spell is broken.

“It’s getting pretty crowded here.”

“Wanna move on to the next stop?”

Mike nods. “People should know when they're conquered,” he announces solemnly, but the spark in his eyes gives him away.

Harvey smiles, but the words stick in his throat when he asks, “Would you, Quintus? Would I?”

“You gotta tell me what weird obsession you had as a kid now, by the way,” Mike remarks as they turn to go. “I don’t make the rules.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Harvey says, because it is, but that doesn’t stop him from disclosing the information he asked for. Fair is fair, after all.

The more they see of Rome, the more Harvey falls in love with it. The Roman Forum is next on their list, and Mike, of course, can name every one of the temples there. Harvey is more interested in the Via Sacra though, the main street in ancient Rome that linked the Piazza del Campidoglio with the Colosseum. Even with all the tourists around, it’s not all that hard to imagine it’s several hundred years ago when he closes his eyes, especially when Mike’s voice right next to him provides him with all the details.

Amidst the multitude of squares and piazzas they stop at, as well as several museums – even when he isn’t under the influence, the artwork is impressive – they stumble upon the Trevi Fountain, which Harvey remembers is famous for some reason, though the why escapes him.

“Why is everyone throwing money in there?” he asks after watching the people passing by while Mike snaps a few pictures of the place. “Is it supposed to bring luck or something?”

“Something like that, yeah,” Mike says, scratching his neck. “There’s this myth around it. It originated in the fifties with some movie. They say that if you throw one coin in, you’ll return to Rome. If you throw two, you will fall in love with an attractive Italian. Throw three and you’ll marry them. You should throw the coin with your right hand over your left shoulder. In case you wanna, you know. Go for it.”

Harvey hums, his eyes lingering on him before returning to the fountain.

“While I would like to return to Rome one day, I have no desire to meet an attractive Italian to fall in love with.”

Much less marry them. Besides, if he were to return, he’d much rather do it with Mike than some faceless person he hasn’t even met yet.

“No, that doesn’t sound like you,” Mike agrees.

Harvey glances at him. “What about you? Not in the mood to meet your future spouse?”

Something passes over Mike’s face, gone before he can grasp it, settling into a wry smile.

“Maybe I’ve already met them.”

Them?

“And anyway,” he carries on before Harvey can ask, “what would you do without me, huh? We both know you’d be completely screwed.”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? Donna is preparing the paperwork to replace you with Kyle as we speak.”

Mike gasps. “Not Kyle.”

“Would you prefer Harold?”

“I would prefer no one, duh.”

“Because I’m the best boss in the world and you love working for me.”

“Now, _that_ I never said.”

“You don’t have to. I know it’s true.”

Mike huffs. “Working _with_ you,” he then corrects, almost too quiet to hear.

Harvey gives him a smug smile. “There you have it. Straight from the source.”

“Yeah, well. You’ll never be able to prove it.”

“You sure about that? Believe it or not, I’m a damn good lawyer.”

He hasn’t forgotten about Mike’s earlier remark, still wants to ask for clarification, but he has no idea how, and the moment has passed anyway. So he keeps it to himself and stays quiet, but he doesn’t stop thinking about it.

Their remaining time in Rome feels like a dream, in the way that it’s very beautiful, but also a bit of a daze.

They wake up in the mornings together, seeing each other without defenses first thing, and it’s only weird because it’s not. Two times in a row, Harvey has woken up now to find Mike’s eyes already on him, looking caught for a split second before he rolled over and brought some space between them.

They never talk about it.

When they step out of the hotel, everything seems almost ridiculously bright no matter where they turn. It’s a little too hot, and they’re a little too sweaty, but they’re traveling light and making up for all the walking with long nights sat outside, talking about the day ahead, about everything and nothing at all.

They never get a chance to do that, back home. Harvey’s really going to miss it.

“You know,” he begins on their last night, swirling the wine in his glass slowly, “this has been nice and all, but I think there’s still something missing from this traveling experience.”

“Oh? Pray tell, what am I missing out on?”

“Well, we do have the sea in New York, but that’s nothing compared to a proper beach vacation. We can’t possibly go back home without that.”

When he glances at Mike, the grin on his face is almost blinding.

“Man, I was so hoping you’d say that.”

“The part about the beach? Or the extended vacation in general?”

“Both, actually. But mostly the part where we don’t go back home yet.”

Their eyes meet, and Harvey doesn’t know if he imagines the weight his statement seems to carry, but before he can pinpoint it, it’s already gone again.

There are so many parts of Mike he still hasn’t seen, that elude him even now, always just a little out of reach.

Is it so wrong that Harvey desperately wants to get a glimpse of them? That the price he’s willing to pay for it is getting higher and higher?

He doesn’t know the answer to that. But he sure as hell isn’t going to stop.

“Well, I won’t be held responsible for you missing out on this vital experience. We probably wouldn’t be able to fight our way out of a paper bag if we actually got back to the office in the middle of the week. Might as well stay until the weekend and get back there on Monday, fresh as a daisy.”

He highly doubts the weekend is going to be enough to get their sleeping schedule back on track, but that sounds like a problem for his future self.

Mike nods enthusiastically. “Totally. An all-nighter or two and we’ll be right back on track.”

He has no idea if he actually believes it, but tonight he doesn’t really care. Tonight they can both lie to themselves. Who’s going to call them out on it?

“Exactly,” he agrees, relishing the wine on his tongue when he takes a sip. He can’t remember the last time he had a bottle this good. “Just two more days to get a little taste. Where’s the harm in that?”

*

In hindsight, the beach may not have been his smartest idea.

Harvey has seen a lot of Mike on this trip, not just because they’re around each other all the time, but also in the literal sense of the word.

The various states of undress he caught him in while they shared a room were one thing, but now that they’ve made it to Valencia and Mike has lost every item of clothing except for the swim trunks he bought at the airport this morning, his nudity hardly lets itself be ignored any longer.

He just hopes that he’ll think he’s admiring the sight of the beach, not of him.

It is gorgeous here, so it’s not that farfetched. After googling around a little, they decided on Valencia on a whim, and Harvey can’t say that he regrets it despite the exercise in self-control the entire thing is proving to be.

Every interaction with Mike is turning into that lately. Where they are doesn’t really play into it.

It’s a good thing they spend a lot of their time _in_ the ocean. He can focus on himself as he swims, and there are less opportunities to stare or get caught doing so as well. It’s been far too long since he did this, especially in a place this beautiful, and he relishes the familiar movements of his muscles before he turns on his back and just drifts for a while.

When he opens his eyes again, the sun warming his face bordering on uncomfortable, he finds Mike a few feet away from him, doing the same thing. His eyes are still closed, a smile on his lips, his arms spread like he’s trying to hug the entire world.

Before he can figure out how to freeze that moment or at least commit it to perfect memory, Mike shifts and opens his eyes like he felt his gaze on him. The smile he gives him is almost as good though, so Harvey won’t complain.

When they aren’t swimming or passing the time in the water, they spread themselves out on the beach. The heat is a lot more bearable there than elsewhere with the breeze from the sea, and it’s surprisingly relaxing to just lie around and do nothing.

Having to put sunscreen on Mike’s back is another thing Harvey did not anticipate beforehand, nor that he would insist on doing the same for him, but it’s a pleasant byproduct of this whole day, regardless of the fact that once Harvey has started touching him, it’s so much harder than it should be to stop.

If he steals a glance or two at him while he dozes off afterwards, allowing his eyes to wander where he never lets them roam otherwise, then his sunglasses luckily conceal the worst of it.

Time passes differently on that beach. Everything is slowed down and far away from them. They are not the only ones there by a long shot, and there are people chattering and kids laughing all around, some music playing somewhere in the background too, but even though it’s all right there, it doesn’t seem to reach them.

Harvey can’t remember the last time he was this relaxed.

“God, this is amazing,” Mike sighs, his eyes still closed.

Harvey thought he was asleep. When he glances at his face, there’s a serene smile playing on his lips that expresses everything he feels himself.

“Bit different from Coney Island, isn’t it?”

He snorts softly. “What do _you_ know about Coney Island?” he murmurs.

“I know a little bit about getting the most out of life. And I know it’s hard to do that at a Brooklyn beach, but I’d say this pretty much covers it.”

Mike hums. “Agreed. This is, like, the best day ever.”

“A whole day of doing nothing is the best day ever for you?”

“Yeah, you know what? I stand by that. Don’t even pretend you aren’t enjoying it too. I’ve never seen a smile that wide on your face before, except when you just beat some asshole in court. Though that one looks a little more malicious.”

Harvey hums vaguely. He wasn’t even aware he was smiling at all.

Mike stretches, resting his foot on his knee with a sigh. “I don’t remember the last time I truly did nothing. And I’m pretty sure it never felt as good as it does right now.”

“Well, enjoy it. You’ve earned it.”

Mike lifts his head, glancing at him over his sunglasses. “ _We_ have,” he corrects, the smile never wavering.

“Yeah,” Harvey agrees. “You’re right. We have.”

The day trickles by; a wonderful daze of saltwater, a gentle breeze, the book Harvey brought along and almost finishes, and Mike’s sun-kissed skin.

It’s late in the afternoon when they pack up to get back to the hotel, and they only leave because Mike finished the last of their snacks an hour ago and he’s getting hungry again.

Finding a restaurant that agrees with them isn’t hard, but they take their time strolling through town before settling on something.

They only booked the room for one more night (it actually does have two beds this time, which is somewhat disappointing, but with everything Harvey’s been getting that he never should have had in the first place on this trip, he’s hardly in a position to complain), so if this is their last night, they should make it count.

Dinner is great, which is half down to the food and half down to the company he’s keeping. It’s amazing, and somewhat validating that even after all this time they’ve spent together, they haven’t yet run out of things to talk about. When there is silence, it’s never uncomfortable, and really, how many people does Harvey know that he can actually be quiet with without feeling the need to say something?

They make a detour once they’ve eaten, because it’s a mild night and they won’t get another chance, not when they’ll be busy packing their bags to go back home tomorrow.

The thought puts a damper on Harvey’s mood, so he doesn’t linger on it, instead focusing on the here and now, the scents mingling in the air as the light fades from the sky, and Mike beside him, their hands brushing every once in a while as if they planned it.

When they make it back to the hotel, climbing the stairs to their room on the third floor, neither of them is in a hurry to go to bed.

“We’ve got time tomorrow, right?” Mike wants to know, and Harvey nods. “Good. I don’t want to pack yet.”

“Me neither.”

He looks around, his eyes falling on the balcony, the sky dimming behind it above the gentle waves of the sea. It’s an invitation if he ever saw one.

“Hey, you in the mood for some wine? We don’t have to go to sleep yet. It’s still early.”

It’s not _that_ early anymore, the sun having set almost entirely, but Mike just smiles. “I could have some, yeah.”

Leaving the choice to him, he opens the door to the balcony and steps outside, clearly having followed his train of thought.

Harvey orders the best red wine the room service has to offer – it’s not that great, but it’ll do, and he doubts Mike is going to care – and joins him outside once it arrives a few minutes later, following his request to make it quick.

Mike is sitting in one of the chairs, one knee drawn up to his chest as he looks over the sea before them. He doesn’t seem to have heard Harvey, too caught up in the sight, but he can hardly hold it against him.

The balcony really makes up for any and all bed-related issues Harvey might have had with the room. The view is one of a kind, almost too beautiful to be real, making his throat close up with some kind of emotion he can’t put a name on when he looks at it for too long.

Though it hardly compares to the sight of Mike, really. _That_ is making him feel some kind of emotion too.

He could put a name on that one. He could, but he’s not going to.

“I hope red’s okay.”

Mike turns to him, smiling.

“Red is great,” he assures him.

Harvey sits down opposite him, filling the two glasses he brought before passing one on to him.

“To what?”

“Doing nothing,” Mike says at once, grinning. “To beach days. To that little sunburn you have on your nose where you didn’t apply the sunscreen properly.”

Harvey huffs. “How about to a great trip instead?”

“Yeah, alright. I’ll take that.”

They clink glasses, holding eye contact because Harvey heard once that you’re supposed to do that, he can’t remember the reason for it, but it’s best not to push his luck. He doesn’t know if that extends to the first sip too, but neither of them looks away for some reason as they drink, and why should he if Mike doesn’t either?

The wine is good, better than expected. Leaves his stomach prickling in the most peculiar way.

Mike licks his lips as he lowers the glass, his eyes wandering back to the view.

“Man, I’m gonna miss this,” he sighs, a little regretful, but grateful too.

“Well, there’s always Coney Island.”

He snorts. “You’re an idiot.”

“Obviously I’m not, but even if I were, would you really want me to change?”

It’s spoken lightly, without any weight behind it, but Mike turns back to him, and his gaze is heavy, lingering on him until Harvey grows hot beneath it.

“Yes,” he says.

Blinking, Harvey lifts his eyebrows.

“I expected a different response, not gonna lie, but I appreciate the honesty, I suppose.”

Mike huffs out a laugh. “I don’t mean it like that. Do I like you as you are now? Obviously. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want you to change. It’s not a bad thing, is it? Growth is change. Improving yourself is change. Becoming someone better is change. I wouldn’t want anyone I care about to stagnate. Watching people flourish and grow into themselves is beautiful. One of the best things there is.”

He tilts his head. “Meeting you has changed _me_ , and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. And I’ve seen you change too, you know. For the better. You’re not the same person I met in that interview.”

He searches his face, then drops his eyes, something playing on his lips that’s not quite a smile.

“Or maybe I’ve just gotten to know you better, who knows.”

Harvey knows. And he’s wrong. He has gotten to know him, of course – better than people he’s called his friends for years – but he’s changed since he met Mike, too. He’s changed _because_ he met him.

He just didn’t know it was that obvious to other people. Then again, Mike isn’t other people. He isn’t just anyone, never was. Never could be.

“That’s rather deep.”

He huffs out a laugh.

“Believe it or not, there’s more to me than meets the eye. More than even you know. I might still surprise you.”

_More than even you know._

It’s not the part he should focus on, but the warmth coiling in his stomach at the words persists nevertheless.

Mike doesn’t notice the direction his thoughts are taking, because Mike isn’t looking at him. His eyes have moved to the waves crashing onto the beach, his voice just distracted enough for Harvey to hear that there’s something other than a simple joke behind the remark.

“Are you saying I don’t already know everything there is to know about you?” he asks lightly, leaving it to Mike whether he wants to elaborate or not.

He looks at him, and the corner of his mouth lifts again.

“Not everything.”

“Hm.” Harvey swirls the wine in his glass, taking a sip, savoring the taste unfolding on his tongue. He licks his lips as he sets it back down, noticing Mike’s eyes dropping to his mouth. “Tell me something then.”

Mike purses his lips, shifting to get a leg under himself.

The silence stretches, if because he’s thinking of something or because he isn’t sure whether he should speak at all, Harvey can’t begin to guess.

Mike could make a joke now. Play it for laughs. Say something ridiculous to break the moment and make them return to safer territory.

He won’t, though. Harvey knows that. Whatever they’re saying to each other tonight, it’s going to be the truth.

“Alright, how about this.”

Harvey tilts his chin up, waiting for him to go on.

Mike watches him closely as he begins, “You know how I was way too involved with Trevor, even when he pulled all that shit and I should have gotten the hell out yesterday? I stayed, and I did so many stupid things for him, because he was my best friend. But he wasn’t _just_ my best friend. He was more to me than that.”

Knowing that there’s some kind of test in Mike’s words, that any reaction showing on his face will be catalogued and determine more than just the turn of this conversation, Harvey stays perfectly still as he listens.

“What was he?”

Mike waves his hand, the nonchalant gesture a stark contrast to the intensity of his gaze.

“He wasn’t my boyfriend either, if that’s what you’re thinking. He was Jenny’s, and that was fine by me. But before they got together, every once in a while, usually when we were high, we… did things I wouldn’t usually do with a platonic friend. And I wanted us to. I wasn’t in love with him, in hindsight, just like I wasn’t with Jenny, but… I was into him. Just like I was into her.” He meets his eyes evenly. “How about that?”

Harvey takes his time answering.

“If you’re asking if I have a problem with that, my only issue is that it’s Trevor you were involved with. Whatever he was to you, you deserved better.”

“Yeah, I thought you’d say something like that.”

They each take another sip, letting the taste unfold on their tongues in silence.

“You know why I wanted to see the statue of the Little Mermaid?” Mike asks out of the blue.

Harvey tilts his head curiously. “You like the story.”

“Yes. But not the fairytale itself. I mean, it’s nice enough, right? But it’s only half the story at most. In the original version, the little mermaid was mute, and the entire thing was a thinly veiled metaphor for someone who loved a person of the same gender and wasn’t able to talk about it.”

Harvey blinks. “I didn’t know that.”

Mike smiles.

“Most people don’t. Hans Christian Andersen, the guy who wrote the story, he was in love with his best friend, and he couldn’t speak freely about it either. The original manuscripts showed his feelings quite clearly, though.”

Harvey traces the rim of his glass with his finger. “I take it that story doesn’t have a happy ending?”

“Not for him, anyway. When his friend decided to get married, Andersen considered himself the outsider in the relationship who lost his prince to someone else.”

“Bit prone to poetry, was he?”

Mike huffs out a laugh.

“Yeah, but I get it. He basically lost the man he loved and his best friend at the same time. He was just… out of reach. In that, I can relate to him.”

Harvey’s finger stills on his glass. Mike fidgets with his hands, almost imperceptibly, the only sign betraying his nerves.

It strikes Harvey how bold he is tonight, baring himself up, making himself vulnerable with the information he offers. Taking a chance.

The least he can do is to do the same.

“This isn’t about Trevor anymore, is it?”

It can’t be.

Mike lets out a deep breath. “No. It’s not.”

Is this where they stop dancing around each other? Is this where they come clean and finally admit to this thing that’s been growing between them?

“If I asked who you’re talking about, would you tell me?”

Mike takes his time considering that.

“If I felt like you really wanted to hear my answer, I would.”

Apparently, it is.

Harvey regards him quietly. It’s dark now, enough to cloak their features in shadows, making it harder to see what passes over them. Harder, but not impossible.

There are stars out here, so many stars, spreading out behind and above Mike into the infinite, a sea of tiny dots illuminating him just enough to highlight the angles of his face, the look in his eyes as he waits for Harvey to speak.

An ethereal sight, if Harvey ever saw one. He never would have gotten that in New York. None of this.

How lucky they are to be here right now.

“Do I tell you one of my secrets now? Is that how it works?”

Mike blinks at him, shifting. Not seeing where he’s going with this, but going along with it for now.

“If you want to.”

Harvey nods, taking a moment to sort his thoughts.

He’s never told anyone this story, but finds it easy to get started regardlessly, finds it easy to open up to Mike, not because opening up is easy, but because it’s Mike.

“Growing up, my parents had this… I wanna say neighbor, but really, they were friends. He lived a few houses down the road. Ran into him a lot, asked him over for dinner whenever they did. My mother had more to do with him than my dad, since he wasn’t home half the time, but they got along as well. He liked him, I always thought. I liked him, too. Didn’t even realize I was looking up to him, and certainly not what for. There was just something about him that appealed to me.”

Mike listens in silence, nursing his wine, and Harvey drops his eyes to his own glass, the red looking almost black in the dark of the night.

He hasn’t thought about that man in a while. He’s thought about why they stopped seeing him, what that meant for him, going forward, but not about him as a person.

He really did like him. He remembers those dinners fondly.

It would be nice if that was all he remembered. It would be nice if he could stop the story at this point, but then he wouldn’t have a reason for telling it at all.

“A few years down the line, he shows up for dinner, and he’s being weird, he’s wringing his hands and not meeting my mother’s eyes properly. He’s looking at me, strangely enough, like he already knows what’s going to happen. And then he tells us, after dinner, Marcus is already in his room- he tells us that he’s seeing someone, and that his name is Thomas.”

Mike takes that in quietly. He nods once, slowly. “I see.”

Harvey’s lips curl up.

“That was the last time he came over for dinner. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, because we never spoke about it, and I didn’t realize there was anything to be spoken about. I thought- I knew others had issues with gay people, but I didn’t think that would apply to us.”

It wouldn’t have changed anything between him and his mother in the long run, he knows that now. That ship had already sailed, destined to crash and burn even without the extra fuel she added to the fire with this.

But that didn’t make it any easier to stomach at the time.

“We were talking about him sometime after that, Marcus and I. Realized he hadn’t been around in a while. When we asked about it, my mother just said he wouldn’t be coming over again.”

He closes his eyes, frowning at the surprisingly vivid memory. Like it was yesterday, like he’s eighteen years old again, like no time has passed at all.

They’re having soup, the one he never liked all that much. It’s too hot, it’s summer, and there’s sweat accumulating on his temple as he chats with Marcus to pass the time while the food cools down. It’s summer, and he’s sweating, and yet he feels almost unnaturally cold at the words coming out of his mother’s mouth. He’s sweating, and his mother is talking about something she doesn’t understand, something she doesn’t know he understands perfectly and now never will, and for the span of a few painful heartbeats, Harvey is paralyzed.

Opening his eyes, he parts his lips and takes a deep breath.

There’s a cool breeze on his face. The taste of the wine lingering on his lips. Mike’s eyes fixed on him, anchoring him, reminding him.

He’s not paralyzed now. He knows who he is, what he wants, what he believes in. He has a voice now.

He knows how to use it. It’s time he did, isn’t it?

It’s time.

“I knew what it was about instantly, but Marcus didn’t. He never heard him tell us about Thomas. So he asked, and you know what she said? That ‘we’ didn’t agree with this kind of lifestyle. That he could do what he wanted, but she’d rather he didn’t do it in her house. Like this guy was about to go down on his partner on our goddamn kitchen table.” He huffs. “He never even brought him along. He just told us his name. Guess that was already enough of a crime.”

Part of him, briefly, wonders if her views have changed over time. There’s too much history between them for it to really matter, and he’s too detached from her to really care, but still. He wonders.

“I didn’t even know what to think, much less to say. I just sat there. Felt like my throat was closing up, like some burning sensation was lodged in my chest. And my dad, he was sitting at the table too, and he listened to her say that, and he didn’t agree, but he didn’t tell her she was wrong either. He was just… silent.”

He lets out a deep breath. Mike allows him a moment to gather himself, to sort through the pieces of what broke that day carefully, lest he cut himself on them again.

“I never confronted my mother about it, because our relationship was already messed up at that point. One more thing didn’t really make a difference anymore. But I always wanted to talk to _him_ about that. I always wanted to clarify why he didn’t speak up, if he still wouldn’t if it came to it again, but I never did. Because I was scared of what his answer might be. And then he died, and now I’ll never know. I’ll never find out if he still would have loved me the same if he’d known.”

There it is. How about that, Mike? How’s that for a coming out? He’s not used to this, hardly has a frame of reference save for the one Mike just gave him; out of practice except he never did get to practice much, thanks to this particular way his parents fucked him up.

“Yeah,” Mike just says. “Me neither. I don’t think my parents ever talked about queer people at all, at least not with me. If they did, I don’t remember.” He lifts his shoulders. “I like to believe that they would have been okay with it. That it wouldn’t even have mattered if I had come home with a guy one day. But it’s not the same as knowing, is it?”

“No. It’s not.”

“I guess that’s something we have to live with, always wondering. We’ll never know for sure. And even if it doesn’t make a difference in how you live your life, it still makes it hard to find closure.”

Harvey nods. “It could be a blessing, for all we know. Though it feels more like a curse.”

“It always does, when you don’t know.”

They fall silent, both raising their glass to their lips. Harvey sets it down deliberately, licking his lips once he’s swallowed.

“Knowing is better, isn’t it? Even if you run the risk of not getting the answer you like. It’s always better to ask. We agree on that.”

“Yes. We do.”

_It’s time._

“Mike.”

He looks at him.

“Who’s the guy you were talking about?”

Mike puts his glass down, his hands coming to rest on his thighs as he watches him. Almost curiously, he tilts his head.

“Can I show you?”

Harvey nods. Mike rises from his chair, filling his entire vision as he sidesteps the table between them, stopping just in front of him. Lifting his chin, Harvey regards him silently. Waiting.

Whatever Mike was looking for, he seems to find it. Putting one knee next to Harvey on the chair, he bends down and cradles his face, searching his eyes just briefly before he leans in.

He should have known Mike would be good at this, because he’s good at everything he does. He always seems to know what Harvey needs, to _be_ what he needs, without even having to try.

He kisses him plainly, but with intent, straightforward about what he wants, and responding in kind is the easiest thing in the world. He kisses him like it’s a privilege, like he cherishes the warm pressure of their lips, the slow slide as they get acquainted with each other. He kisses him like he’s already done this a million times, like this isn’t just the beginning of what Harvey hopes is something that will last.

Mike kisses him like he means to, how Harvey yearns to be kissed, and he never wants him to stop.

He does, eventually, shifting his leg as he pulls back, both their chests heaving slightly.

“Stop me anytime,” he murmurs, and Harvey huffs, one hand hooked around his thigh to pull him closer.

“Not a chance.”

Going back for a second kiss is a given, as it is for a third, a fourth, enough for Harvey to stop counting. His hands slide over Mike’s body, their exploration encouraged by the little noises he makes in the back of his throat. They kiss deeply, curiously, and it’s only when Harvey moves to pull Mike into his lap entirely that he stops, licking his lips as he gazes at him.

“As nice as this is, maybe we should… not continue it outside. The other guests have balconies too.”

“So? They can look away if they don’t want a show.”

“Counterpoint: if we move inside I’ll have you all to myself, and I promise I’ll make the most of that.”

Now that _does_ sound tempting.

“Fine. You’ve convinced me.”

Mike straightens, blinking down at him with a shake of his head. “Quite the ending to this whole trip,” he mutters.

“Not what you expected coming here, huh?”

“Expected? No. Hoped for? Maybe. Dreamed about? You bet your ass.”

Harvey’s lips curl into a smile. They still taste like wine, like Mike, an intoxicating mix he’s rather desperate to explore further. And Mike is right there, looking so damn delectable, regarding him like _that_ , and there really is no time like the present, is there?

“Well, it’s not over yet.”

Rising from his chair, Harvey holds out a hand.

“Let’s go inside,” he suggests. “I’ve got a few more things that I want to find out about you.”

Mike’s hand is warm and solid in his. Harvey thinks he could get used to that. He thinks he’d like that very, very much.

“And I was promised a show,” Mike returns, grinning when Harvey promptly pulls him along.

“Right you are. And you should know by now that I always keep my promises.”

*

The room is flooded with sunlight when Harvey opens his eyes. It’s warm despite the early hour, bordering on uncomfortable, but with the sheet they pulled over themselves being the only thing covering him from the waist down, it’s bearable.

They never closed the balcony door last night, and the curtains swing softly in the gentle breeze, offering a small but welcome relief.

Turning his head, Harvey can’t help the smile spreading on his face.

Mike is next to him, close but not quite touching him, a different source of heat that he’s much more inclined to tolerate than the sweltering sun about to rise to full glory above them.

Harvey rolls over, intending to stay here a while and just enjoy the view, but the shift of his body rouses Mike, who blinks his eyes open, his lips curving upwards.

“Good morning,” Harvey says.

Searching his face, growing alert only slowly, Mike lets out a deep breath.

“Mhh. I thought this might have been a dream.”

“Did you, now?”

“Yeah. And everything would be back to normal in daylight. Looks like I was wrong about that.”

“Well, welcome to your new normal. Better get used to it.”

Mike huffs, nudging his foot beneath the sheet. “Do you plan on taking me on any more trips to Europe after this?”

“I might. But if you think I’m letting you go again even when we’re back home, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Well, good. That’s what I’m counting on.”

He regards him, still unguarded with sleep, betraying his every emotion as his smile falters.

“We’ll figure this out, won’t we? With you being my boss and us doing… this now.”

They absolutely will, and yes, it’s a conversation they’ll need to have sooner rather than later, but Harvey doesn’t want them to have it just yet. He wants to enjoy this a while longer, the exhilaration, the fluttering in his stomach, the warmth spreading in him when he looks at him that can only be described as happiness.

He wants more time.

“We’ll figure it out,” he promises, taking Mike’s hand to brush his lips over his wrist. “Once we’re back home.”

“Alright,” he agrees, clearing his throat when it comes out a little rough. “Speaking of going back home… last day today, huh?”

Harvey hums.

Mike sighs. “Alright, well, we’d better make good use of it then. I should go take a shower and get ready.”

Usually Harvey would have suggested joining him, but today he just nods, schooling his features into a neutral expression. “Yeah, you do that.”

As soon as he hears the water running, he rolls out of bed to retrieve his phone, and by the time Mike comes out of the bathroom, his wet hair falling into his forehead rather charmingly, everything is already taken care of.

“Alright, bathroom’s free.”

Harvey waves his hand. “I’m in no rush.”

Mike scoffs. “You might not be, but I don’t intend to spend our last day abroad in a hotel room. I _could_ be persuaded to spend a little more time here with the right incentive, but you’re still gonna have to shower at some point, so you might as well do it now.”

He stops, narrowing his eyes.

“You look smug. Why do you look so smug?”

“Can’t I just be happy about seeing my boyfriend on this fine morning?”

It feels nice to say that, and Mike looks like hearing it pleases him too, but he isn’t so easily distracted.

“No, that’s definitely not it.”

Harvey snorts. “Why don’t you guess?” he then asks, offering a canting smile.

Mike scrutinizes him, but the corner of his mouth lifts as he sits down slowly.

“Alright, well… does it have anything to do with us?”

Harvey rolls his eyes. “Obviously.”

“Does it have anything to do with this trip?”

“Indeed it does.”

Mike starts grinning. “Okay, where are we going next?”

“You’re good at this game.”

“No, you’re just really obvious. I kinda figured out at one point that extending this trip every few days is one of your love languages. You’re a romantic like that.”

Harvey would like to dispute the fact, but considering where they’re about to go next, he really doesn’t have a leg to stand on.

“Well, sadly we can’t keep that up forever. But I did manage to get us two more days. One last stop, then we really have to go home.”

Mike lifts his shoulders. “Had to happen at some point. And I look forward to seeing what your love language is when we aren’t on a different continent and you’re trying to woo me.”

“That’s not what happened.”

“Sure it isn’t.” Mike leans in, clasping his hands together. “Come on, tell me. Where are we going?”

Harvey lets the silence stretch for a beat, just to savor the anticipation, before announcing, “To Paris.”

Mike throws his head back and laughs. “Of _course._ ”

“Problem?”

“Not at all, believe me.” His eyes glint as he grins at him. “Take me to Paris, Casanova.”

“I intend to. Our flight’s in three hours, and we’re taking the last plane home tomorrow night, so we have one and a half days to do with as we please. Tuesday is gonna be hell at the office with how late on Monday we’re arriving, mind you, but I figured we should use the opportunity if we’re here already.”

“Oh, absolutely.” Mike gets up, taking his face in both hands. “Getting to see more of the world is worth all the sleep we’re gonna miss. And getting to see it with you? I couldn’t imagine anything better than that.”

“Obviously not. I’m amazing.”

He snorts.

“You’re a dick, and an idiot, and a bit of a self-centered asshole sometimes. But for some reason, I’m into it.”

Leaning in, he brings their lips together in a kiss that instantly leaves Harvey wanting more.

“Guess the incredibly sweet side of you that comes to light when you care about people makes up for it.”

“Charming,” Harvey remarks dryly.

“Get used to it, dickhead. This is what you signed up for, and this is what you’re getting.”

He lets out an exaggerated sigh. “I guess I’ll have to suffer through it then.”

“You had better.”

Mike holds out his hand to him, grinning.

“Let’s go to Paris,” he says, his eyes glinting, and Harvey smiles, because he would go anywhere in the world with him if he only asked.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't been to any of the places they visit in this myself, so all my descriptions are based on a Google search. 
> 
> English still isn't my native language, feel free to point out any mistakes! If there's anything you want to tell me or that you'd like to share, comments are very, very appreciated :)


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